PHOTO: ERR
On 1 September of this year, amendments to the Consumer Protection Act enter into force, under which retailers will, as a general rule, no longer be required to issue a paper purchase receipt to consumers by default; consumers will instead be able to receive a notice of the invoice as a text message or to keep their receipt in a mobile app.
This change has been introduced as a result of long-running discussions and studies carried out by the Estonian Merchants' Association in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.
Receipts will no longer have to be issued by default
From 1 September, retailers will, as a general rule, no longer be required to issue a paper purchase receipt to consumers by default. This will simplify retailers' operations and reduce both costs and administrative burden.
Even so, retailers will still have to issue a receipt to consumers in certain cases. For example, when a consumer pays in cash and does not use a loyalty card that would give them access to the receipt in an electronic customer service environment for the period during which the retailer is liable for non-conformity of the goods or services with the contract terms or for the duration of any sales guarantee.
In addition, the obligation to issue a receipt remains if the consumer informs the retailer at the time of purchase that they wish to receive a receipt. So even though, once the amendments enter into force, retailers will no longer always be obliged to issue a receipt by default, consumers can still ask for a receipt at the time of purchase, and the retailer is obliged to provide it.
Under the current law, retailers are required to issue a receipt to the consumer when the purchase amount exceeds 20 euros.
Retailers must in future provide consumers with at least one free channel for sending invoices
Going forward, in the case of long-term contracts, retailers will have to ensure at least one free way of forwarding invoices to the consumer - either to the consumer's postal address, e-mail address or via text message to a mobile phone. A long-term contract means that a service or goods are ordered for a longer period and that invoices are issued regularly, for example monthly, e.g. for internet, electricity or water services.
If a consumer wants to receive an invoice in duplicate, both by e-mail and by post, retailers will in future be entitled to ask the consumer to cover postage costs. Retailers may not require the consumer to cover postage costs if the consumer has chosen e-invoice as their second method of invoice delivery, or if a special law provides that the invoice must be delivered to the consumer free of charge.
Under the current rules, retailers cannot require reimbursement of postage costs related to invoice delivery, and sending an invoice notice as a text message to a mobile phone is a new method of delivery that the current law does not allow.
The amendments enter into force on 1 September 2025.
You can read more about the amendments to the Consumer Protection Act HERE.